Thousands Expected at Miami Rum Festival

MIAMI (AP) -- Up to 9,000 people are expected to attend tastings at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival this weekend.

Rum enthusiasts and industry professionals can try more than 140 varieties of rum and attend seminars Saturday and Sunday to learn more about the spirit.

Sales of rum and other distilled spirits have steadily grown over the last several years. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States says 25.5 million cases of rum were sold in the U.S. last year. Flavored and spiced rums account for more than half of all rums sold.

Rum has traditionally been associated with the Caribbean, but it's increasingly a global spirit. At a pre-festival tasting this week, rums from Ireland, Colorado, the Philippines, Florida and New Zealand mingled with offerings from Barbados, St. Barths and Panama.

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